Marquette, Michigan and Gitchie Gumme!

Our Trip around the country, a Swan Song. So far we have traveled:
Motor coach....1484 miles road and day trips in the van.....688 miles total...2,174
So far it has been an amazing trip!


When we arrived in Marquette driving the motor home we saw this structure jutting way out into Lake Superior, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT? Well we found out that they mine iron ore here and this is a ore loading dock, this one is no longer in use. Notice across the top front, there are four sets of little marks. That at one time was rail road tracks. There was a long trestle that allowed four trains up there at a time to drop the ore.

Well lets drive on West along the coast line a couple miles. We will pass this rock Island where someone has painted 1990, I don't know if that was the class of 1990 or not.

As we approach the ore dock we will go under the trestle that is allowing the trains on top.

Here you see the train cars.

There are 200 of these giant finger looking containers. 100 to a side. Each finger will hold 250 tons of ore pellets. A ship or barge is brought along side and they lower and pour the ore. You can see it would not take long to load a ship. This structure was built in 1912, almost a hundred years old and capable of loading 9.5 to 10 million tons a year.

Back in town we took a walk around town we always love to do this to get the feel of the town. Below is St. Peters Cathredral, It has beautiful twin domes and can be seen for miles.

This is Looking East on Front street. This is the street we came into town on. It is not very apparent but this is a HILL. It rises toward us. The red canopy on the left houses the restaurant where we plan to eat.

This is the Vierling REstaurant and Brewery. Shoot and I quit drinking beer.

Would you believe a soddy looking place like that is a classy restaurant.
We came here because they advertised fresh lake White fish. I am not crazy abot stuffed anything. It seems to take away from the taste of the main ingredient. But since this stuffing had frogs feet, sesame seeds, Blue crabs, chicken lips and toad gizzards, I thought I would try it. (As most know I cannot understand most speech that might as well have been what the waitess said.) The price was a reasonable $324.79 okay, that is an exaggeration. But a meal to me (being cheap) is $13.50 tops, but I prefer $3. I guess it wasn't bad, $17.95, stuffed white fish.

Sherry ordered Spinach and Artichoke dip (very good) and we had a salad. Absolutely the best dressing I have ever had, Raspberry vinegarette.

Something strange happened. I kept staring, see the guy in a red cap. He is looking out the window, he looks very much like my deceased BIL, Dick. I couldn't get over it.

After supper, we finished our walk down by the piers. A giant sign reads, "NO DIVING OR SWIMMING", there were about ten more swimmers on the pier. (so much for signs).

There were some folks getting instructions on sailing. Then she hits me with a statement out of left field, I have always wanted a sail boat!, She said, "Maybe we should have gotten a sail boat, it would have been fun, I would have been for it if you hadn't mentioned sailing around the world."

(Now she tells me that I blew the whole thing by mentioning sailing around the world. I could have lied, it ain't like I don't know how! Shoot!)

This is looking up the hill into town as we walk away from the piers.

We are pleased with this stay. It has been interesting and we have had a chance to see Lake Gitche Gumme (?sp). Mel tells me that is the name given Lake Superior by the Indians, meaning 'Big Water'.

Thanks for coming along to Marquette, MI with us. We have enjoyed this trip.

Tomorrow we head South, going to Wisconsin. Hope to See Mel and Dar there. That will be the center piece of this trip.

Nite Shipslog

PS: I have spent 2hours fighting the Blogger I hope this one goes....

Did you hear about the little boy who got lost in the YWCA and ended up in the ladies locker room, they grabbed towel, clothes and began to scream.

He stood there puzzled and when it got quite he asked, "Haven't you ever seen a little boy before?"

We have been hearing from our friend Lindie lately, great to hear from you, a fellow traveler, before she settled down.